Tomato-Basil Soup

The other tomato-basil soup recipe on this site is made with fresh tomatoes. This recipe uses canned tomatoes so you can enjoy it even during the cold winter months. We LOVE it with hot grilled cheese sandwiches.

1-2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves chopped garlic
2 (2 lb.) cans diced or whole tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil (or 2 T. dried basil)
1-2 cups whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and canned tomatoes with juice. Bring to boil. Add tomato paste and chicken stock then return to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes. It should be chunky and starting to thicken up. Remove from heat and puree (either in a blender, food processor, or with a hand held stick blender - I use a Braun). Return to low heat and add the whipping cream and basil. Bring back to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. If it seems to thick, add more chicken stock and if it is too thin, continue boiling it until it thickens up. Makes about 8 cups of soup.

Orange Cream Fruit Salad

My girls ran across this recipe and wanted to try it out. They made it all by themselves and told me, "Mom, you better put this on your blog!"

1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can lite peach slices
2 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
1 can mandarin oranges
2 bananas cut in chunks
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. sour cream
2-3 T. sugar
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Mix together the instant pudding and milk. Stir well and allow to thicken in the fridge for a few minutes. Stir in the sour cream, orange juice and sugar. In a separate bowl, add all the fruit (drain all canned fruit) and mix well. Gently stir in the orange dressing. Cover and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Roasted Veggies

This is one of our families favorite side dishes. You can use any of your favorite veggies. We like carrots, potatoes or sweet potatoes.

veggies
olive oil
Kosher Salt
pepper

Cover a cookie sheet with tinfoil. Chop veggies into small strips or squares. Spread on cookie sheet. Sprinkle olive oil all over veggies and toss to coat. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until nicely browned and fork tender.

Chicken Cashew Pasta Salad

I had some leftover rotisserie chicken, so I threw this salad together Sunday night. The kids have been enjoying it in their lunch along with some sliced oranges this week.

1/2 pkg. bowtie pasta (farfalle)
1/2 pkg. curly pasta (fusilli)
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup red grapes
1 cup pineapple tidbits (optional)
1 small can mandarine oranges (optional)
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1 cup cashews (optional)
1 cup light mayonnaise (I like Best Foods light)
1 cup sweet salad dressing (I use either Coleslaw Dressing or Briannas Poppy Seed)
salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to pkg. directions, then cool. In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, chicken, celery, grapes, pineapple, mandarin oranges and green onion. In a small bowl, mix the mayo, dressing, salt and pepper. Stir everything together until well coated. Refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in cashews.

If there are any ingredients you don't like, just leave them out.

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake

When I take a bite of this supermoist cake, I am transported straight back to my grandma Moore's kitchen. This is serious comfort food.

1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, divided into whites and yolks
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the oatmeal and set aside. Separate the egg whites and yolks then beat both with a fork. In a mixing bowl, mix the sugars, oil and egg yolks. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the oatmeal mixture and mix again. Finally, mix in the egg whites. Pour into a greased and floured 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Frost while hot:

Frosting:

In a saucepan, mix 6 T. butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 2 T. evaporated milk. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup coconut and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Pour and spread mixture all over the top of the cake. Serve warm or cooled.

Veggie Pizza

You can add any of your favorite veggies to this pizza and can make it lower in fat by using reduced calorie crescent rolls, low fat cream cheese and low fat cheddar cheese.

• 1 tube Pillsbury crescent rolls (or Pillsbury recipe creations dough)
• any savory flavored cream cheese (I like the garden veggie flavor)
• shredded cheddar cheese
• favorite vegetables chopped (cauliflower, carrots, green onion, tomato, cucumber, red or green pepper, celery, broccoli,etc.)

Remove crescent dough from tube and lay out in one big rectangle, pinch all seams and roll with a rolling pin to smooth (if you use the Recipe Creations dough, it is already in a big rectangle). Place rectangle on a baking sheet and bake according to the package directions. Watch for the rectangle to get lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.

Spread cream cheese all over the top then cover with shredded cheddar cheese. spread veggies around all over the top. Refrigerate Cut into squares to serve.